Lincoln Park owlet: An update, and a name

New information tonight about the Lincoln Park barred-owl family’s owlet (previous coverage here and here), this time (along with that photo) courtesy of Trileigh, who says it even has a name:

The little owlet is getting better about navigating his way through the trees. He practices by walking out on branches, and hopping/flapping from one to the other, with his parents usually nearby. He likes to go sideways along branches to the very farthest end and sit at the tip, which probably makes his parents pretty nervous!

Recently one evening, we were watching as he lost his balance and fell about 30′. He bounced right up (I imagine he could flap his wings with enough strength to cushion his fall) and headed for a nearby tree to climb to be safer from potential predators. Fortunately, the good West Seattleites who witnessed all this stayed a respectful distance away so the little owl could climb without feeling too stressed by humans and dogs coming too close.

His parents flew in and checked thoroughly to make sure little Wollet (named after the owl “Wol” in Winnie-the-Pooh) was safe and sound. A happy ending!

I’ve attached one picture of Wollet tightrope-walking along a branch, and I’ve posted a number of other pictures of him, his parents, and other Lincoln Park birds on my Flickr site at www.flickr.com/photos/trileigh/.

6 Replies to "Lincoln Park owlet: An update, and a name"

  • Andrew A May 31, 2009 (11:11 pm)

    Awesome picture; thanks for sharing that!

  • Krystal June 1, 2009 (7:25 am)

    I am pretty sure this is the cutest think I have ever seen!

  • Minette June 1, 2009 (9:51 am)

    I love that little dude and am happy to see that he’s still doing well and getting better at tree climbing.

    Excellent name, Triliegh! My husband took to calling him “Fluffernutter” because he’s so fluffy and crazy looking, but we’ll happily start calling him Wollet because it’s so darned cute.

  • Mike&Kate June 1, 2009 (10:51 am)

    We, too, love little Wollet – He’s just the cutest thing we’ve ever seen. We have been following the baby eagles on the Hancock Wildlife Foundation site, but litte Owelette beats them all! Keep posting the pictures, please. They sure put a smile on our faces!

  • OpposableChums June 1, 2009 (6:13 pm)

    Following avidly from The East Coast, courtesy of my West Coast pal Elizabeth Carpenter, this saga of my favorite owl. Great pix, great story, great thanks.

  • jeannie June 2, 2009 (1:00 am)

    That face, those feet, the fuzziness – adorable! Thank you for posting this.

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